A close-up look at NYC education policy, politics,and the people who have been, are now, or will be affected by acts of corruption and fraud. ATR CONNECT assists individuals who suddenly find themselves in the ATR ("Absent Teacher Reserve") pool and are the "new" rubber roomers, and re-assigned. The terms "rubber room" and "ATR" mean that you or any person has been targeted for removal from your job. A "Rubber Room" is not a place, but a process.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Former Bloomberg Finance Chief Martha Stark Cited By Department of Investigation For Numerous Instances of Misconduct While In Office

What has the Bloomberg administration fraud and corruption got to do with "the Rubber Rooms of New York City"?Everything.While Mayor Mike was and is, fiddling, New York was and continues, burning, and the public needs to see exactly what this fiddler did/is doing, now that we are about to have no choice but elect his deputies in November 2013 (I mean Scott Stringer, Christine Quinn, Bill De Blasio, Tom Allon).
He will make sure of that. Does CityTime ring a bell? (If it does, still read the article posted at the end of the post on Martha Stark, below).

Martha Stark

April 27, 2012

In Report, Details of Misconduct Accusations Against Former Finance Chief

A former Bloomberg official asked a real estate company to help her domestic partner find an apartment just weeks after her agency sharply reduced the firm’s tax burden, and she was romantically involved with two subordinates, according to the results of a city investigation released on Friday.

The 111-page report from the Department of Investigation also found that the subordinates to the official,Martha E. Stark, a finance commissionerwho resignedin April 2009 amid numerous investigations into her conduct, received sizable salary increases during the relationships.

The report found evidence that “contradicted her denials of personal relationships with subordinates and of never using her position to obtain any advantage for relatives or personal relations.” The report added, “The extent of Stark’s misconduct was compounded by multiple misrepresentations made after her conduct came under scrutiny.”

The report, released under a Freedom of Information request, was the bookend of a dismal professional week for Ms. Stark, a lecturer at Baruch College. On Tuesday, she wasfined $22,000by the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, which reviewed the same accusations and primarily cited her for using a city computer account to send e-mails related to her paid service as a board member of a different real estate company.

In an interview on Friday, Ms. Stark’s lawyer, Richard W. Mark, questioned the findings. He noted that the city’s report was dated last June and suggested that the accusations, which were referred to the Manhattan district attorney for possible action, did not rise to the level of a criminal offense. He also argued that the Conflicts of Interest Board largely ignored many of the personal allegations that permeated the Department of Investigation report.

“Martha Stark led the Department of Finance for seven years with distinction,” he said. “She led the department into the 21st century. This report has personal and private information in it that really should not be part of any legitimate investigation.”

Until she was sidelined by the inquiries, Ms. Stark had been highly regarded for her stewardship of the agency, from 2002 to 2009, which assesses the city’s properties and collects tax revenue. Indeed, many groups still speak warmly about her professional abilities.

In the report, which draws heavily from Ms. Stark’s Department of Finance e-mails, perhaps the most damning e-mail is one she sent in 2007 to an official at a luxury real estate company soliciting a rental apartment for the woman then registered as her domestic partner, just two weeks after the company, Glenwood Management Corporation, had been notified that it had received a $17 million reduction in the assessed valuation of one building.

“I hope we did O.K. with your buildings,” Ms. Stark wrote. “If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll take a look.” She continued that “a very good friend” was looking for an apartment. The Glenwood official found an apartment for the woman a month later.

In an interview with city investigators, the official, Charles Dorego, said Ms. Stark’s request had made him a bit “uncomfortable.” He also said he had “never gotten such a request from any other city official.” The report, however, indicates that the assessor responsible for evaluating Glenwood’s buildings told investigators that “he was certain that he had not been asked to lower the assessments for this property below what they should have been.”

The report devotes significant space to Ms. Stark’s personal relationships. She had denied in the news media any romantic relationship with a subordinate, Assistant Commissioner Dara Ottley-Brown. According to the report, Ms. Ottley-Brown’s salary rose to $138,013 in 2009, from $84,460 in 2003, while they were involved. But the report says Ms. Ottley-Brown acknowledged under oath that the two had had an affair.

The report also says that Ms. Stark had a romantic relationship with a graduate student she met at a lecture she gave while serving as commissioner. The woman then went to work at the agency at Ms. Stark’s suggestion as a $12.50-an-hour college aide in 2005, before becoming Ms. Stark’s special assistant, at $50,502 a year, and then chief of staff to an assistant commissioner, at $88,519 a year in 2009.

City honcho arranged for a love nest

TIGHT SQUEEZE: Ex-Finance commish Martha Stark (right),
with one-time gal pal Dara Ottley-Brown, had an e-mail exchange with a
real-estate big who set up an apartment for one of her other lovers.

Former city Finance Commissioner Martha Stark went above and beyond
for her lovers — not only helping them get jobs at her city agency but
also finding one an apartment after her office slashed the landlord’s
tax bill, a damning Department of Investigation report reveals.
Stark’s
partner was given a cut-rate apartment by real-estate giant Glenwood
Management two weeks after it received a 30 percent reduction in its
assessment at 1930 Broadway in 2007.
The Finance Department
slashed the assessment by $17.37 million, to $43.8 million, reducing the
firm’s annual property taxes by $700,000.
Stark’s assessors then
“erroneously” reduced the assessment on the same building by an
additional $2 million the year after it gave the commissioner’s partner
the apartment.
Mayor Bloomberg called for the DOI probe after The
Post reported that Stark promoted an underling while covering up their
romantic relationship, gave relatives jobs and moonlighted for a
real-estate firm on city time.
“How are you? I hope we did okay
with your buildings. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to
contact us and we’ll take a look,” Stark wrote in a Jan. 30, 2007,
e-mail on official letterhead to Glenwood Vice President Charles Dorego.
“Listen,
a very good friend of mine is looking for an apartment and I told her
how great the Glenwood buildings are. She’s looking for a studio or one
bedroom on the Upper East Side.”
Stark then brazenly suggests that Hampton Court “seems like a great building” and asks about the rent.
“I
have owned for so long that I’m out of the rental market for more than
20 years. Is there someone you would recommend that she speak with?
Thanks for your help. I hope you’re well!!!!”
The DOI report said
Glenwood’s Dorego, though “uncomfortable” with Stark’s request, treated
her like a VIP. He talked to Stark’s partner, though he did not know
they were romantically involved, DOI said.
Stark’s lover initially paid $2,600 a month for the high-end apartment, which DOI said was lower than what other tenants paid.
Dorego
dealt with the Finance officials on Glenwood’s behalf and complained
about the agency treating the firm’s properties “aggressively” on
assessment issues. He communicated with one of Stark’s underlings, Dara
Ottley-Brown.
DOI has referred this and other bombshell findings to the Manhattan DA’s Office for possible criminal prosecution.
DOI
said the “juxtaposition” of Stark’s request for the apartment from
Glenwood amid assessment reductions before and afterward is “evidence of
a possible quid pro quo” and “potentially evidences a crime, certainly
presents a conflict of interest, and reflects a significant appearance
issue.”
“It is beyond question that a commissioner cannot ask for
something from someone who comes before his or her agency — in this
case annual property- tax assessments that result in the imposition of
higher or lower taxes,” the report said, citing an abuse of authority
that violated city conflict of interest rules.
In a statement released last night, Dorego defended his actions.
“Whatever
Martha Stark was accused of has nothing to do with Glenwood and at no
point in this investigation have we been charged with any wrongdoing,”
Dorego said.
“I stand by my testimony — there was no quid pro quo
between Glenwood and Ms. Stark — and anything to the contrary is
conjecture . . . Inference of any wrongdoing on my or Glenwood’s part is
ludicrous.”
The DOI report also confirmed other misconduct by Stark first uncovered by The Post:
*
She had a romantic relationship with subordinate Ottley-Brown between
2003 and 2007, during which time she gave her lover promotions and huge
pay raises. She also created a job for Ottley-Brown’s estranged husband.
At Stark’s request, City Hall appointed Ottley-Brown to sit on
the Board of Standard of Appeals, where she earns $150,000 a year. Stark
never revealed their relationshjp.
* Previously, Stark had an
affair with another subordinate, a graduate student, who received
multiple promotions and raises to $85,000 a year.susan.edelman@nypost.com

CityTime Payroll Scandal a Cautionary Tale

WNYC.org, Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Closing the city's $600 million dollar budget gap was not
without tough trade offs. A thousand workers will lose their jobs, and
to save $6 million dollars, the city will end its commitment to
thousands of kids who had been promised college scholarships for keeping
a B average. The shortfall that prompted the hard choices is roughly
the same amount federal prosecutors say was involved in a massive case
of contract fraud that has come to be shorthanded as CityTime. It's a
cautionary tale of what can happen when the city drops the ball on
oversight for just one of its 47,000 private contracts.
Preet Baharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, did not sugarcoat his description of the CityTime scandal when
describing it earlier this month to reporters.
"The crimes alleged in today's superseding indictment are truly jaw
dropping," said Baharara. "They reveal one of the most elaborate and
massive schemes to defraud the city ever charged." The city's Department
of Investigation, led by Rose Gill Hearn, initiated the case and
brought it to Baharara's office on the sprawling case.
The irony here is rich. "The massive scheme" started as an outsourced
city contract to design a payroll system that would precisely track the
hours worked by city employees. After a couple of false starts with
other vendors, defense contractor Scientific Applications International
Corporation was awarded the job in a no-bid contract by the Giuliani
Administration.
Under Mayor Bloomberg, the contract ballooned from $63 million where
it had started out in the Giuliani years , to more than $700 million.
Federal prosecutors now say at least $600 million of that was "tainted."
At every level, federal prosecutors allege grafters had honeycombed
CityTime in to a paragon of corruption.
"Between 2003 and 2010, the CityTime payroll project served as a
vehicle for an unprecedented fraud, which appears to have metastasized
over time," said Baharara.
The prime contractor was the defense contractor Scientific
Applications International Corporation. The city's contract database
notes SAIC has been the subject of "multiple investigations by the
Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, NASA and the
General Services Administration." Citing the criminal probe, SAIC had no
comment for this story.
Back in 2005, prosecutors say SAIC got a whistleblower tip about
company employee Gerald Denault, SAIC's CityTime manager, saying Denault
was deliberately slowing down the project and raised the possibility he
was taking kickbacks from subcontractors. Prosecutors say SAIC took a
look for five months but found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Denault continued on an upward corporate trajectory.
"Gerald Denault allegedly used his authority at SAIC to cause
consultants to be hired at inflated rates, to artificially delay the
implementation of the project, and to approve work orders for staffing
increases that were not necessary," said Baharara.
Official oversight for this project rested with a three-person panel
including Mayor Bloomberg's Budget Director Mark Page, a representative
for than Comptroller Bill Thompson, and Joel Bondy, who led the Office
of Payroll Administration up until he was fired after the first
indictments came down last year. Despite this oversight, Attorney
Baharara says the private contractors and consultants were able to
manipulate the terms of their contracts and inflate the costs eleven
times its original estimate. Bondy and Page declined to comment for
this story.
"Because of their efforts, the contract went from a fixed-price
contract to a fixed-price level of effort contract. What that meant is
that from then on, it would be the city - not SAIC - that would become
largely responsible for future cost overruns. What followed as described
in the indictment was a dramatic acceleration in costs with the city on
the hook for all of it," explained Baharara.
What prosecutors have yet to publicly discuss is the role played by
former city officials from both the Giuliani and Bloomberg
administrations that acted as lobbyists on behalf of SAIC and
subcontractors such as New Jersey-based Technodyne.
This month Technodyne, and its husband-and-wife ownership team of
Padma and Reedy Allen, were indicted for their role in the conspiracy
that netted Technodyne $450 million dollars of city funds via SAIC.
Prosecutors contend it was 80 percent of Technodyne's business.
The city's lobbying database shows a small army of former prominent
city officials who did work for SAIC and Technodyne. Defense contractor
SAIC has retained former City Comptroller Liz Holtzman, Peter Powers,
who served as Mayor Giuliani's top deputy Mayor for operations, and Seth
Kaye, who worked in both the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations.
Technodyne's lobbyists include former Bloomberg Department of
Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Gino Menchini
and Agostino Cangemi, who also held key posts in both administrations.
National Strategies, the lobbying firm that employs Menchini and
Cangemi, says the firm had no role in CityTime and discontinued working
"on general business procurement" for Technodyne as soon as the criminal
allegations surfaced. (Another Technodyne lobbyist of record, Sal
Salamone, was director of the Mayor’s Office of Computer Planning and
has worked for SAIC.)
Watchdog group Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner says as
the city increasingly turns to outside contractors, these contractors
turn to former city employees as lobbyists to influence the contracts.
"Simultaneous with that shift, you get a massive explosion in
lobbyists because now you are not just lobbying on behalf of a company
that does or doesn't want certain regulation," she says. "Now you're
lobbying on behalf of a company that is looking at a job which could be
$400 million dollars worth of city money."
In December of last year, federal prosecutors and the DOI alleged
initially that another nest of fraudsters had exploited CityTime,
walking away with more than $80 million dollars. They charged that
"subject matter expert" Mark Mazer, who was supposed to be monitoring
the contract work on CityTime, had actually used his position to
orchestrate an international kickback scheme.
At the time, Mayor Bloomberg tasked Deputy Mayor for Operations
Stephen Goldsmith with evaluating the city's largest information
technology contracts. Goldsmith conceded that the city had erred in
sub-contracting even the quality assurance oversight of CityTime out to
multiple layers of contractors. He vowed to have city employees play a
more active role in monitoring contracts and conceded the migration of
city officials into the world of contracting could be problematic.
"If a revolving door means you have city employees on the contractor
side at higher salaries, I think there is some evidence of that and we
are concerned about it," he told WNYC.
Meanwhile, Technodyne founders Reedy and Padma Allen have yet to be
taken into custody. They are facing multiple counts of bribery and
corruption on their 450 million share of the CityTime money. But finding
them will be a challenge. City lobbying records list one of
Technodyne's addresses as 576 Valley Road, a UPS mailbox in Wayne, New
Jersey.
"They rented one of my big postal boxes, says Mr. Choi who owns the
Wayne UPS Store. "I have not seen them for awhile but they are paid up
through July." Prosecutors claim the Allens are now in India.
City Comptroller John Liu announced today that he is freezing $42
million of money left to be paid to SAIC pending the outcome of the
federal investigation. And Liu joined the Financial Information Services
Agency board of directors in approving a plan to transition management
of payroll system away from outside contractors to city workers.
“This transition is possible because of the significant progress
achieved due to the new paradigm we established in September forcing the
project on the right track at no further expense to taxpayers to build
the system," Liu said in a statement. "As we move forward, it is my hope
that the city will be able to recoup every dollar stolen from
taxpayers, and that the administration will continue to cut down on the
use of outside consultants.”

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

Operative questions here- how many of those taxpayer dollars were siphoned off as kickbacks to Bloomberg's not as secret as he believes offshore accounts,what is the relationship between Liu's revelations and all the investigation he's been experiencing,and why isn't Bharara looking at Bloomberg's involvement in this, as well as other scandals, such as the 911 cost overruns and the continuing refusal of the DOE to correctly bill for Special Ed services under Medicaid?

TV Appearances by Betsy Combier

Lawline

Contact me with a concern or issue

I assist anyone who needs help, so email me your problem to start the ball rolling! I am a teacher/parent advocate, and I am the editor/writer for this blog and the website parentadvocates.org. I also write about court corruption on my blog "NYC Court Corruption". I am interested in random injustice and the criminalizing of innocent people. If you want to chat you may email me at: betsy.combier@gmail.com and I'm on twitter and have a facebook page too. I'm not an attorney and do not give legal advice.

If you want to talk with me about your 3020-a charges, I consult and go over your case without charge. No fee.

And, in response to the lies of certain individuals who resent my work, the truth is that all conversations are confidential and I do not tape secretly.

Testimonial from an Exonerated Teacher

Dear Betsy,I am forever indebted to you, Betsy, for your expert counsel throughout a horrific ordeal. You worked tirelessly to prove my innocence in a 3020a proceeding that was instigated by a corrupt school district and fueled by lies. My proceedings ended with my complete exoneration, my record expunged and my immediate return to the classroom. We didn't even need to file an appeal! Thank you, Betsy. I am now eligible to retire and enjoy the benefits you helped me to protect. God bless you and the work you do protecting the innocent.Sincerely,Maria Gargano

My Thoughts and Raison d'etre

This blog is about the denial of Constitutional rights by the Mayor, the New York City Department of Education and the Chancellor, New York State and Federal Courts, New York State legislature, and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), as well as PACs and all parties participating in the business of public school education in New York City, to harm and in neglect of parents, children, and staff of public schools in the five boroughs. These thoughts are not simply mindless conclusions reached out of thin air, but a result of 14 years of research into the NYC DOE and the Courts as a reporter and paralegal.
I am an advocate of Unions and union rights, public schools and charters, and learning online as well as outside of the classroom. I cannot and do not support anyone, whether they be union management, government, private members of the political or legal system, or simply retired teachers with an agenda, if he or she tramples, discards, or rebuffs anyone's individual civil rights. As a reporter, journalist, advocate, researcher and paralegal, I have created this blog to inform the public about my experience working for the UFT and being the parent of four daughters who went through the public school system in NYC, as well as examine issues that flow from the massive denial of due process rights that I saw and have documented. The two most important points you should remember: first, everyone at the New York City Board/Department of Education and all Union bigs are motivated by power and money, and looking good. If anyone dares to blow the whistle on these racketeers, retaliation follows, so be a strategist; second, I am not an Attorney and nothing I write or say is legal advice, simply my thoughts. Take 'em or leave 'em.
Betsy Combier, Editor
NYC Rubber Room Reporter
http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com
New York Court Corruption
http://newyorkcourtcorruption.blogspot.com
Parentadvocates.org
http://www.parentadvocates.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/betsy.combier
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BetsyCombier
The NYC Public Voice
http://nycpublicvoice.blogspot.com/betsy.combier@gmail.com
Lawline July 27, 2011
http://www.teachem.com/lawlinetv/learn/lawline-tv-teachers-unions-the-last-in-first-out-rule/

Principal Anne Seifullah changes her image so that she can keep her job amidst sexting and trysts in the school, Robert Wagner Secondary Sch...

Google + Rubber Room Community

FAITH

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly. Patrick Overton

Truth Seeks Light - Lies Seek Shadows

Twins Jill Danger (left) and Betsy Combier(right)

sayin like it is

Actions Have Consequences

Writing as Music

Rubber Room teachers wish me a happy birthday (2006)

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."

Rubber Room Satire

The Labor Movement

The Teaching Equation

We Can Work Out Our Differences

The E-Accountability Foundation

The E-Accountability Foundation brings you this blog which highlights issues that have or should be read by people interested in civil rights, and accountability. The E-Accountability Foundation is a 501(C)3 organization that holds people accountable for their actions online and, through the internet, seeks to bring justice to anyone who has been harmed without reason. We give the'A for Accountability' Awardto those who are willing to blow the whistle on unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status.

AddThis

Performance Management - Office of Labor Relations

From Betsy Combier

The NYC Office of Labor Relations, with the support of the UFT, has issued to principals a document called"Performance Management" on how to get rid of an incompetent teacher. Who is an "incompetent teacher"? Anyone the NYC Department of Education wants to remove from the system because he/she is too senior (makes too much money), is disabled (and therefore cannot be deemed factory-perfect) and/or is other impaired (is a whistleblower, cannot be intimidated, is ethnically challenged - not the 'right' race, etc).

Candace R. McLaren

Director, Office of Special Investigations (OSI)

Google+ Badge

Google+ Followers

Follow by Email

Polo Colon

"Rubber Room"

(1) a space where a worker subject to a disciplinary hearing or other administrative action waits and does no work; generally, a place or personal mind-set of isolation.(2) a literal reference to a padded cell, which is, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, “a room in a psychiatric hospital with padded walls to prevent violent patients from injuring themselves.”from Double-Tongued Dictionary http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/rubber_room/

"Rubberization"

The word "rubberization" is a new word that is used to describe the process of assigning and paying people to sit and do nothing in a drab room away from their place of employment while their employers make up charges that allege sexual or corporal misconduct without any facts upon which to base the allegation on.

Email Subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz

Theresa Europe, NYC BOE ATU Director

Robin Greenfield

Deputy Counsel to the NYC DOE

UFT Pres. Mike Mulgrew and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg

UFT umbrella pals

New York State Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez

ATR CONNECT

Tenured Teachers who are found to be guilty of misconduct or incompetency at 3020-a but are not terminated, who have blown the whistle on the misconduct of politically favored NYC Department of Education employees, and/or who are simply disliked for any reason can suddenly find themselves in the ATR ("Absent Teacher Reserve") pool - employees without rights or voices, and without chapter leader union representation.

This new group of people are the "new" rubber roomers without representation at the UFT and denied the protection of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because basically they have been pushed out of their jobs unfairly and under color of law by Mayor Bloomberg and the Chief Executives of the Department of Education who call themselves "Chancellors", "Network Leaders", "Superintendents", etc., consistently without any facts or evidence to support the false claims.

A group of teachers who are, or were, made into ATRs, ATR Polo Colon, and I, Betsy Combier, an advocate for transparency and labor/employment rights, have joined together to expose the denial of due process, civil and human rights by chiefs of the NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE), certain arbitrators at 3020-a, leaders of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the "investigators" -agents who work for the Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI), Office of Special Investigation (OSI), and the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) - and the Attorneys who work for the New York United Teachers (NYSUT), and the New York Law Department (Corporation Counsel).

In order to protect the safety of those who join this group to promote an end to the "Rubberization" process described on this blog since 2007, names of those who tell their stories will, for now, remain anonymous if the person so desires, and Polo and I will be the gatekeepers. So if you are an ATR, or know a story involving an ATR or someone re-assigned or about to go into a 3020-a, please use the email address advocatz77@gmail.com and give us your contact information. We will protect your anonymity and hold onto your privacy.

Betsy Combier and Polo Colon, Editors

FAITH When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly.

Patrick Overton

We have forty million reasons for failure but not a single excuse.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

The Re-Assignment Overview by Betsy Combier

The New York City Board of Education decided in 2002 to rid the public school system of staff who interfered with their takeover and control. The criteria for a "good teacher" is now, more often than not, a "silent teacher", a person who never asks questions, is younger than 40, is making a salary below $50,000, does not care about kids and what they learn, or whether or not money (books, supplies, equipment, etc) is missing. When a teacher or staff member of a school dares to do the right thing and speaks out about wrong-doing - this person is often called a "whistleblower" or "flamethrower" - or, simply is not liked for any reason by the Principal/NYC personnel, suddenly he/she is accused of something by somebody ("given a label of "A", "B", "C", and so on) and whisked away to a drab room called a temporary re-assignment center or "rubber room". Members of the offices of the Special Commissioner of Investigation or the Office of Special Investigations then start work on building a case against the person to justify their being thrown in prison, declared "unfit for duty", or, as Mr. Joel Klein has said, characterized as "guilty of sexual activities and corporal punishment" against the children of New York City.The stories of the people I have met who sit every day in the 8 rubber rooms of NYC prove to me that Mr. Klein is very wrong about his assessment, and this blog is created to prove it to you.

Puppy Snooze

US Department of Labor ELAWS

Aeri Pang, Gotcha Squad Attorney

Attorney Pang, red dress, now chief Attorney For New York State Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern

New York State Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Kern

NYC EdStats You Can Use

$12.5 billion: Annual New York City Department of Education (DOE) budget (2002)

$21 billion: Annual New York City DOE budget (2009)
1,719: Number officials employed by the DOE central administration in June 2002

2,442: Number of officials employed by the central administration as of November 2008

2: Number of DOE officials earning more than $180,000 per year in 2004.

22: Number of DOE officials earning more than $180,000 per year in 2007.

5: Number of DOE public relations staffers in 2003.

23: Number of DOE public relations staffers in 2008.

944: Number of contracts approved by DOE in 2008, at a total cost of $1.9 billion.

20: Percentage of contracts that exceeded estimated cost by at least 25 percent.

$67.5 million: Annual budget of Project Arts, a decade-old program that was the sole source of dedicated funding for arts education. It was eliminated in 2007.

86: Percentage of principals who said in a 2008 poll that they were unable to provide a quality education because of excessive class sizes in their schools.

100,000: Number of seats DOE plans to provide for charter school students by 2012.

25,000: Number of seats DOE plans to build under 2010 to 2014 capital plan.

66,895: Number of K-3 school-children in classes of 25 or more during the 2008-09 school year.

15,440: Average number of seats per year built during the last six years of the Rudolph Giuliani administration.

10,895: Average number of seats per year built during the first six years of the Bloomberg administration.

27.2: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2001-02 who were Black.

14.1: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2006-07 who were Black.

53.3: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2001-02 who were white.

65.5: Percentage of newly hired teachers in 2006-07 who were white.

76: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Latino students in 8th grade English Language Arts (ELA) in 2003.

75: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic students in 8th grade ELA in 2008.

77: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic 8th graders in math in 2003.

81: Percentage of white and Asian students who performed better than the average Black and Hispanic 8th graders in math in 2008.

54: Percentage of New York City public school parents who disapproved of Mayor Bloomberg’s handling of education, according to a March 2009 Quinnipiac poll.

Sources: New York City Council, New York City Comptroller’s Office, New York Daily News, New York Post, Eduwonkette, Quinnipiac Institute, Black Educator, Class Size Matters, New York City Schools Under Bloomberg and Klein.

Betsy Combier and NYSUT lawyer Chris Callagy

The New York City Whistle Award

NYC Whistlers, Winners of the NYC Whistle Award

...are those individuals in New York City who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. Whistlers ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up.

These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions.

Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

Betsy Combier

Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard Condon

Condon "qualified" for his current post after Bloomberg lowered standards; who will leash him?

A great teacher

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job 'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletinboard, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. 'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?

NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly

Joel Klein's famous statement about rubber room teachers and staff

On November 27, 2006, temporarily re-assigned teacher (TRT) Polo Colon asked Joel Klein, the "pretend" Chancellor of the NYC public school system, if he had voted to terminate teachers at the secret Executive Session held just before the public meeting of the Panel For Educational Policy.Mr. Klein answered,"We did not vote to terminate you. We did vote to terminate a teacher in executive Session...in fact, we voted to terminate two teachers. It's perfectly consistent with the law.Many teachers have been charged with sexual activities and some are charged with corporal punishment...I have no interest in removing people who are qualified to teach, I can assure you, because I dont get any return...and in fact, I have complained publicly about how long this process drags out. But our first concern will always be and, as a former lawyer and somebody who clerked on the United States Supreme Court I will tell you, there is no violation of due process whatsoever..."- extracted from the audiotape of the PEP meeting bought by Betsy Combier after filing a FOIL request to the NYC BOE

November 26, 2007 Candelight Vigil

The School Law Blog

A Review of Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools by Betsy Combier

Lydia Segal's book puts the NYC, Chicago, and California Departments of Education on notice....we who have read this book know more about how the system is not there for our kids than "you" want us to know. Lydia Segal's book Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools changes the public school reform movement forever. We can no longer assume that more money allocated to our schools will "fix" the disaster that is our public school system.

Lydia Segal draws on her 10 years of undercover investigation and research in over five urban school districts, including the three largest, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and the two most decentralized, Houston and Edmonton, Canada, to provide, in her new book Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools, the details of the corruption, theft, fraud, and patronage that has overrun our public school establishment for several decades. There is no question that anyone who is interested in school reform -this means anyone who pays taxes, is a parent or guardian of a child attending school and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first - must read this book. Ms. Segal's research and information on the education establishment's 'dark' side outrages the reader, and incites us to demand change. Her book therefore, is much more than a book, it is a call to action. We cannot be bystanders any longer to the systemic abuse she so vividly describes, and we will never be able to listen in the same way ever again to school Principals, Superintendents, school custodians or district board members as they request more money "to help the children."

The book's detailed reports on the corruption and crime in our public schools, supported by 52 pages of interview notes, references and specific examples, provide irrefutable evidence that the current failures of our nation's public schools are not due to the lack of money but the impossibility of getting the money to the children who need it and for whom the money is allocated in the first place. Recent statistics show that students of all ages are not learning what they need to know, schools are overcome with violence, teachers are demoralized, and yet billions of dollars are literally shovelled into the system every year. The New York City school system receives more than $16 billion every year; Los Angeles, $7 billion; and Chicago, $3.6 billion. Where does this money go? We have all asked this question as we have walked through school hallways dodging the paint falling off the walls and ceilings, watching our children sitting on broken chairs, using bathrooms without running water or toilet paper, and struggling to achieve their personal best without the services and resources they are supposed to have. Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools is the first book ever to systematically examine school waste and corruption and how to fight it. Ms. Segal, an undercover school investigator turned law professor, documents where the money goes, how waste and fraud embedded in the operation of large school bureaucracies siphon money from classrooms, distort educational priorities, block initiatives, and what we can do to bring badly-needed change. She describes in detail how only a small percentage of the money allocated to students in our public schools actually gets used by them due to corruption and waste, and how city school systems scoring lowest on standardized tests tend to have the biggest criminal records and most payroll padding. Coding problems, the procurement process, compartmentalization and opacity of information leave administrators with only two options: good corruption (which ultimately helps the kids) and bad corruption (which never helps anyone but the perpetrator and his/her allies and accomplices). Indeed, the system fights those who try the good corruption route.

Ms. Segal argues that the problem is not usually bad people, but a bad system that focuses on process at the expense of results. Decades of rules and regulations along with layers of top-down supervision make it so hard to do business with school systems that they encourage the very fraud and waste they were designed to curb. She tells us about how the "godfathers" and "godmothers" (the school board members) obtain jobs for their "pieces" in order to protect the systemic waste and fraud from being dismantled or exposed. Fortunately, she writes, there are good people involved in the corruption as well who must violate the rules in order to get their jobs done. Nonetheless, absurdities abound: school systems following rules to save every penny spend thousands of dollars hunting down checks as small as $25; it takes so long to pay vendors for their work that some have to bribe school officials to move their checks along; caring Principals who want to fix leaky toilets may have to pay workers under the table because submitting a work order through the central office could, and often does, take years. Meanwhile, those who pilfer from classrooms get away with it because the pyramidal structure of large districts makes schools inherently difficult to oversee. What makes Battling Corruption in America's Public Schools a must-read is not only the fascinating - and depressing - details of the systemic wrong-doing but also Ms. Segal's suggestions for reform, based on the proven track records of school systems across North America that have successfully reduced waste and fraud and have pushed more resources into schools.

The pathology of the corruption suggests the remedy, Ms. Segal says, which is decentralization of power into the schools and the hands of the Principals. Distilling what successful school systems have done, Segal advocates new forms of oversight that do not clog up school systems and recommends giving principals more discretion over their school budgets as well as holding them accountable for job performance. She argues for "autonomy in exchange for performance accountability" as part of a bold, far-reaching plan for reclaiming our schools. Her conclusion is logical and convincing. Everyone who reads this book will find his or her perception of public school education changed forever. We cannot accept any longer that a generation of children has been abused by a system that is so full of greed and corruption without screaming "stop!" and "Your game is up!"

Segal reveals how systemic waste and fraud siphon millions of dollars from urban classrooms and shows how money is lost in systems that focus on process rather than on results, as well as how regulations established to curb waste and fraud provide perverse incentives for new forms of both. Anyone who is interested in school reform--this means anyone who pays taxes, is a parent or guardian of a child attending school, and/or who works toward a goal of establishing an education system that puts children first--must read this book. --

Lydia G. Segal is Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

The NYC BOE FAMIS Online Tour

The FAMIS Portal Online Tour provides an overview and demonstration of the FAMIS Portal. Computer speakers or headphones are recommended. Choose an item of interest below, or click on the Introduction to proceed through all of the modules in sequence.

About Me

Reporter, paralegal, advocate,I will investigate, search on the internet and in all data bases for information that will help a person in need of resolution to a problem.I believe in substantive and procedural due process for all individuals, groups and organizations and trademarked the term "e-accountability" to describe the purpose of my work. I am the parent of four daughters.

Statcounter

Site Meter

Disclaimer

This page states the general terms of use under which you, the blog visitor (hereinafter "you", "user", or "visitor") may use NYCrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com. By reading this blog, you agree to all of the terms set forth below. You may reprint, copy, and use any article on this website as long as you do not sell or change the article and you cite this blog as your source. This blog reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change any or all of the provisions of this "Terms of Use & Disclaimer Agreement" at any time; the agreement in effect at the time of your use shall govern your use and your use after the effective date of any changes to these Terms will be deemed acceptance of your acceptance of the changes. We have followed what we believe to be the guidelines of US Code TITLE 17, Chapter 1, Section 107: FAIR USE: "the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phone records or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." We will, if asked with good reason to remove any material from our site that the original owner feels may jeopardize their standing before the Law, do so. We oppose violence of any kind, disrespect, verbal or physical abuse, and any kind of theft or hurtful behavior toward anyone at any time, and expect all users of this blog to be mindful of these values and use the information we have collected in good faith. We have made every effort to describe the actions, not motives, of public people, and we have supported everything that we post with documents to prove the validity of what we say in order to not make any fraudulent or false claims. We believe that it is a civic duty to expose wrong-doing, and we have the legal right to name the perpetrators who pursue illegal activities as defined by the respondents to their actions. If a public official or employee writes, says, or does anything that is against the Laws of this country or that falsifies data which leads to the intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment, verbal and/or physical abuse of a student/parent/teacher, we claim license to post the acts of such people on our website, with the name of the perpetrator. The truth is not defamatory. We claim that we are not "out to get" any particular person.You agree that you do not acquire any ownership rights in any downloaded content. You further agree that all rights in the site and any of the content found on the site not granted to you under this agreement are expressly reserved to the editor. You agree to not extract any content in order to repurpose or resell the site's content or tools, and you agree to not "scrape" and/or reformat any information without the written permission of the editor. This blog protects and enforces copyrights for its' own creative material and respects the copyright property of others, as well as our right to "FAIR USE". We do not permit materials known by us to be infringing on the copyright of others to be on the site, and we ask that you notify us promptly if you believe that any materials infringe upon a third-party copyright. Upon receipt of a proper notice of claimed infringement under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) we will respond promptly to remove or disable access to the material claimed to be infringing that is in our direct control, assuming that there is also infringement of FAIR USE. This agreement and any policies and rules posted on this blog constitute the complete and exclusive and final expression of the agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. No waiver by the editor of this blog or you of any breach or default under this agreement shall be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default.This blog provides as a service homepages of websites we believe may be helpful to the user; we provide these links and resources solely as a convenience to you, the user, and we do not endorse the content of these sites. We are not responsible for the content of any linked sites and make no representations regarding the content or accuracy of materials on these sites. If you visit any sites linked to this site, you do so at your own risk. We will not assume any responsibility for the servicing or replacing of equipment or data, or any costs for either. This site and its material are provided on an "as is" basis without any warranties of any kind. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL THE EDITOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION USE OF OR RELIANCE ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THIS BLOG - WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY AND WHETHER THE EDITOR IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES - INTERRUPTIONS, ERRORS, DEFECTS, MISTAKES, OMISSIONS, DELETIONS OF FILES, DELAYS IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, NONDELIVERY OF INFORMATION, DISCLOSURE OF COMMUNICATIONS, OR ANY OTHER FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE. THE EDITOR OF THIS BLOG DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, AND THE WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU AGREE THAT ANY RECOURSE FOR DISSATISFACTION OR PROBLEMS WITH THIRD-PARTY GOODS OR SERVICES WILL BE SOUGHT FROM THE THIRD-PARTY PROVIDER DIRECTLY.To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless The EDITOR OF THIS BLOG (and any of her subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, distributors, third party providers, and licensors) from and against all claims, liability, and expenses, including attorney's fees and legal fees and costs, arising out of your use of the site or your breach of any provision of this agreement. The Editor reserves the right, in her sole discretion and at her own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you. You will cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any claim.This agreement, your performance under it, and any disputes arising under it shall be governed exclusively by the laws of internet usage as stated by the federal courts of the United States. You agree to pay all legal fees incurred by any legal action filed against the Editor of this blog in any action in which she as the defendant prevails.Any information collected about your visit to the web site is non-personal in nature and used solely for the purpose of helping us to assess the areas of our site that are most useful to visitors, and therefore need to be as complete and user-friendly as possible. In the area of listserv sign-ups, contribution data, and/or any other email or membership sign-up option now or in the future on our site, all information is collected on a strictly voluntary and confidential basis, and will not be sold, used or released for any third-party purpose. We do not permit any transactions from or by any person who is 13 years old or younger.